Newcastle United's top 30 players - Number 20

Following on from midfield general David Batty at number 21 in our countdown of the greatest Newcastle United players is a born-and-bred Geordie who was a fixture in the club's midfield throughout most of the 1990s.

Lee Clark came through the youth system of the club he supported as a boy, and after making his senior debut for the side in 1991 he would become an integral part of the team for the next six years.

The youngster played 29 times in the league as the Magpies won promotion to the First Division in his first season as a professional at the club, and continued to be a fixture in the top flight.

A dynamic and enthusiastic midfielder, Clark became a fan favourite at St. James' Park due to his obvious passion and love for playing for the club he had grown up supporting.

Clark scored 27 goals in 240 appearances on Tyneside before making the short journey to join rivals Sunderland in 1997, whom he helped to win promotion to the Premier League two years later.

However, his time at the Black Cats was cut short by perhaps the most notorious off-field moment of Clark's career, when he was spotted amongst fellow Newcastle fans at the 1999 FA Cup final wearing a shirt with a derogatory message towards Sunderland.

That only served to endear him further to the St. James' Park faithful, and after six successful years with Fulham he returned to the Magpies in 2005 as a 32-year-old for one final season.

Upon retiring he became an assistant coach to then-manager Glenn Roeder, and he has gone on to forge his own managerial career with Huddersfield Town, Birmingham City, Blackpool and now Kilmarnock.

Tom Nightingale

After starting to write about football due to lack of any great ability on the pitch, Tom is an NCTJ-qualified sports reporter who has written for Swansea City, the Birmingham Mail, and numerous other publications. An avid Aston Villa fan, he still hasn't got over them not turning up in the 2015 FA Cup final.